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CABINET OFFICE
Civil Servants (Hearing Impairment)
Mrs. Gilroy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the total cost of introducing retrospective changes to the superannuation scheme for civil servants so as to ensure that former and current civil servants are granted pension entitlements for the years they were designated as having permanent unestablished status solely on the basis of a hearing impairment. [65268]
Mr. Kilfoyle: No estimate has been made of these costs (or of extending any concession to the large numbers of civil servants who in other circumstances did not qualify for a pension). I am afraid that I can hold out no hope of any relevant improvement in the statutory provisions. In superannuation matters, it is rarely, if ever, possible to make changes with retrospective effect.
Mrs. Gilroy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the total number of civil servants who have not yet reached retirement age who have at some point in their career been given permanent unestablished status solely on the grounds of a hearing impediment. [65267]
Mr. Kilfoyle: The distinction between established and unestablished service disappeared in 1972 when a new pension scheme was introduced. Staff serving in an unestablished capacity, including those on permanent unestablished terms, were admitted to the scheme. Their earlier unestablished service then became pensionable. There are no centrally held records of the numbers of staff serving in a permanent unestablished capacity who resigned before this change was made and who subsequently returned to the Civil Service.
The Stationery Office
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what controls are used to assess (a) competitiveness and (b) relative costs, and what measures he takes to limit those costs when purchasing printed matter from The Stationery Office. [66093]
Mr. Kilfoyle: The Cabinet Office seeks to achieve best value for money from all of its purchasing activities whether it is buying printed matter or other goods and services.
Cabinet Office Print Procurement arrangements are currently handled via the Central Office of Information which places work with suppliers who have been appointed after competition and in accordance with EC Public Procurement regulations. The Stationery Office Ltd. is just one of those suppliers and is only used when it is able to provide the most cost-effective solution.
In addition, the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, acting in her capacity as Queen's Printer, has a number of Print and Publishing contracts with The Stationery Office Ltd. These cover the "Civil Service Year Book", Acts of Parliament, Measures of the Synod of the Church of England, Statutory Instruments, Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland, Command Papers, and the London, Belfast and Edinburgh Gazettes. The contracts, which were let on 30 September 1996 as part of the privatisation exercise undertaken by the last Administration, expire
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on various dates between 30 September 2000 and 30 September 2001. The process of re-tendering under EC Public Procurement procedures will commence in April 1999.
If The Stationery Office Ltd. decides to bid for any Cabinet Office contract it is treated no differently from any other company submitting tenders for the work.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what rules or guidance his Department has to govern the (a) formal and (b) informal interaction between his civil servants and commercial lobbyists. [66205]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 27 July 1998, Official Report, column 4.
Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff are employed by the Scottish Office, the Scottish Sports Council, the Scottish Arts Council and other public bodies in connection with administration of the National Lottery; and what are the annual costs involved in administering and allocating grants within Scotland under the various National Lottery schemes. [63855]
Mr. Galbraith:
[holding answer 15 December 1998]: The number of staff employed and the annual costs involved in connection with the administration of the National Lottery are as follows:
| Number of staff | £ | |
|---|---|---|
| The Scottish Office | (1)1.5 | 50,000 |
| Scottish Arts Council | (1)35 | (2)1,908,000 |
| Scottish Sports Council | (1)35 | (2)1,206,647 |
(1) Staff numbers are full time equivalent. The numbers of staff involved in Lottery issues fluctuate throughout the year.
(2) Figures relate to 1997-98.
The Millennium Commission, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board also distribute Lottery funds in Scotland. These bodies operate on a UK-wide basis. It is not possible to estimate precisely the numbers of staff or administration costs associated with their work in Scotland.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Prison Service (Race Relations)
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report of the Prison Service Race Relations Group. [66707]
Mr. George Howarth:
A copy of the eighth report of the Prison Service Race Relations Group to the Prisons Board has been placed in the Library.
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Mr. Thorn Cross:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours a week are spent by prisoners at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution, Cheshire, on education, community work, preparation for employment and work to change offending behaviour; and how this compares with time spent on similar activities at other young offenders institutions. [66248]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Prison Service does not record separately the time spent on all of the activities listed.
For the financial year 1998-99 to the end of December, the average weekly time spent in education by prisoners at Thorn Cross was 13.2 hours. This compares with an average across all young offender institutions of 5.9 hours.
This includes daytime education, vocational training courses, construction and industrial training courses and evening education classes.
The average weekly time spent on total purposeful activities at Thorn Cross for the same period was 49.3 hours. The average for all young offender institutions was 22.0 hours.
Total purposeful activity includes education, training, employment in prisoner enterprise service workshops, employment in prison farms, gardens, kitchens and messes, cleaning and domestic work in the prison, resettlement and rehabilitation activity and physical education.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost for each place on the high-intensity training pilot scheme at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution, Cheshire. [66250]
Mr. George Howarth:
£22,700 per year.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average weekly cost of keeping a prisoner at a young offenders' institution. [66244]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are in the Library, provide information on the average annual cost per place by establishment type, however, this includes establishment costs only and excludes Prison Service headquarters overheads. The average annual net operating cost per place in a young offender institution for 1997-98 was £18,400.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis prisoners are selected for a place on the high-intensity training pilot scheme at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution, Cheshire. [66249]
Mr. George Howarth:
Young offenders are considered on the basis of applications made by the young offender himself or on the recommendation of his probation officer, personal officer, court or family. Applicants must be category D prisoners suitable for open conditions. Those serving sentences for sexual offences, offences against children or offences involving serious violence are not eligible. Applicants must have a sufficient period of their sentence remaining to enable them to complete the course before release. Those applicants who meet these criteria are interviewed and assessed by a team of staff
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from Thorn Cross, which includes a psychologist, to identify those with the greatest potential to benefit from the high-intensity training scheme.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the letter of 20 September to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, what he has done to keep under review the possible use of cellphone jammers to disrupt criminal activity. [65396]
Mr. Boateng:
The Home Office is looking at these devices to determine their suitability for police use.
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